Story by Cory Sharber, Contributing writer

The No. 3 ranked Murray State rifle team fell to the No. 1 West Virginia Mountaineers in a record-breaking match Saturday at the Pat Spurgin Rifle Range.

The Mountaineers broke all of their previously established team records against the Racers, setting new highs in the smallbore, air rifle and team aggregates.

West Virginia shot a 4742 aggregate, finishing with 2356 points in smallbore and a score of 2386 in air rifle. Murray State finished with an aggregate of 4703, shooting a 2330 in smallbore and a 2373 in air rifle.

West Virginia senior Elizabeth Gratz led all shooters with an aggregate of 1186. Five of the Mountaineers posted aggregates above the 1180 mark.

Junior MacKenzie Martin from Fairhaven, Massachusetts, led the Racers with an aggregate of 1179, posting a 595 in air rifle and a 584 in smallbore. Senior Ivan Roe from Manhattan, Montana, and junior Barbara Schläpfer from Gais, Switzerland, both obtained aggregates of 1174.

Senior Ben Estes from Ozark, Missouri shot an 1173 aggregate and junior Alathea Sellars from Puryear, Tennessee, posted an aggregate of 1169. Freshman Dana Buesseler from Forest Lake, Minnesota, shot an aggregate of 1168. Senior Bobby Broadstreet finished with an aggregate of 1164, shooting a 594 in air rifle. Junior Eric Sloan rounded out the shooters for the Racers by posting an 1136 aggregate.

The Racers’ next test will come at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 19, when they head to Jacksonville, Florida to face the No. 15 Jacksonville State Gamecocks in the Gamecock Open. This will be their final match of their regular season schedule.